Mechanisms of Eukaryotic Transcription In higher organisms including plants and animals, the genetic code (DNA) is to be found in an internal compartment of the cell known as the nucleus, tightly packaged into chromosomes in a DNA-protein complex called chromatin. Genes are expressed when messenger RNAs (mRNA) are copied off the DNA code in a process called transcription, before leaving the nucleus to be translated into proteins at "protein factories" called ribosomes. Transcription is now known to be a highly orchestrated process, with expression of sets of genes being turned on and off at various stages of the life of the organism. This international conference is intended to be a forum for discussion of the latest research in the field and to promote future progress in our understanding of this complex and fundamental biological process. This conference is notable because the majority of talks are selected from openly submitted abstracts giving ample opportunity for broad and diverse representation of junior scientists including graduate students to present their latest research. Funds will primarily be used to support junior scientists and members of under- represented constituencies within the field who would otherwise not be able to attend.